By Putera Satria Sambijantoro
It is a reasonable thing to say that younger generations of Indonesians are having difficulties in defining the real meaning of nationalism.
“I can`t find any reason why I should be proud of Indonesia,” said one friend in a not-so-serious discussion.
“If I am presented with a chance to live abroad and change nationality to gain a more stable life, I see no reason not to do it.”
The sentence may sound bitter, but it is true. Not many young Indonesians these days share the same value as the patriots` in movies like We Were Soldiers and K19: The Widowmaker.
Both films were inspired by true stories, and I was so moved watching how the American soldiers (We Were Soldiers) and the Russian submarine crews (K19:The Widowmaker) were so proud of their own motherlands and were even willing to sacrifice their lives for their own country.
My heart even pounded faster when I watched a scene from We Were Soldiers that showed a young American who died with a smile, after saying, “I am glad I could die for my country”.
I have a dream of how my peers and I can possess that kind of nationalism in our hearts.
Some of my friends, however, seem to have a very different idea.
“Indonesia has nothing to be proud of. Why do we have to have such nationalism?” one said.
Sadly, skeptical opinions like that really makes sense. One Indonesian may argue that it is even a privilege to be born as a citizen of the United States or Russia. They are proud when they state their nationality as an American or Russian.
Conversely, talking about Indonesia, is our treasured Red-and-White flag as worth dying for as the Star Spangled Banner?
It is said that nationalism is defined as a proud feeling of being a citizen of one country. Then what would be, if any, the reasons for young Indonesians to be proud of their own country?
Not surprisingly cynicism always arises when young Indonesians are asked about the future of their own country - most of them find that it is far much easier to find and criticize the nation`s failings rather than presenting tangible solutions or doing something to fix it.
I once watched television when one university student questioned the capability of our government and vehemently criticized its policies by revealing several facts of its failure to support the people.
Also, when the presidential election was in the offing, one friend of mine enunciated his skepticism of the election, “What`s the difference, mate. I don`t think there is any difference whether you vote or not. Indonesia is as poor as ever these days and many ill-fated Indonesians out there are still struggling to make a living.”
Despite the fact that Indonesia has less to be proud of, I think nationalism should not be defined by only mouthing arguments and criticism to express your concern about the country. Indonesia may still be mired in underlying problems like poverty, ramshackle bureaucracy, ingrained corruption culture, or, most recently, terrorism.
Yet only few realize that many people on the other side of this world have started to discern the progress of Indonesia in many sectors - thanks to people on the upper level of the government who have been working hard to try to fix Indonesia for us.
Peaceful democracy prospers in Indonesia in only 11 years since its regime transformation, which is proved by our ability to directly choose a president and members of the House of Representatives in the previous election. And it is a privilege that not all citizens in this world can have.
Indonesia`s economy has been growing really well these days; despite the fact that global financial crisis has hammered many countries` economies really hard, Indonesia is currently the third-fastest growing economy in the world and still manages to record a positive 4 percent economic growth amid the negative economic growth trend that occurs among most of the world`s economies.
On the national security sector, Malaysian-born terrorist Noordin M. Top may be still wandering out there, but surely he feels worried by now as the security authorities - the Police and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), backed by the Indonesian Military (TNI) - are coming closer and closer on the pursuit of putting him into the same fate as Amrozi`s and Imam Samudera`s.
With such achievements, I am not too comfortable with the fact that many young Indonesians prefer to disparage the government rather than appreciating its hard work.
Don`t criticize; ask what you can do. In my opinion, I think you are not permitted to mouth criticism on your own country when actually you have never done anything for it.
I want to do something for my country, and consider this simple writing as the small act of my own promise. If you were in my shoes - a teenager who is trying to make change on something - what tangible deeds can you do but writing a piece while hoping that such writing will influence people as they read it?
Let`s hope that my fellow Indonesian friends read this piece and are inspired by it, so it can provoke their sense of nationalism and stop them from being so cynical about Indonesia, a nation whose independence was redeemed by the blood and flesh of our founding fathers 64 years ago.
Happy anniversary dear motherland, may I and my fellow friends of the younger generation grow up to be the one who can raise you to a higher echelon in the not-so-distant future.
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Putera Satria Sambijantoro, is a student of the University of Indonesia`s School of Economics
Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com
